Dolly Parton Reveals The Secret To Her Marriage’s ‘Sensible Separation’

Shutterstock By Hope Campbell/June 21, 2021 6:16 pm EST

When you’ve been married for half a century — especially in the entertainment industry — you have to have done something right. Dolly Parton married husband Carl Dean in 1966 when she was barely out of her teens, per Biography. She and Dean had initially met two years prior in a laundromat, according to the outlet, and have gone through the years together as Parton has become a worldwide superstar as a singer, songwriter, actor, amusement park owner, and philanthropist.

Parton is known for her hits, like “I Will Always Love You,” “9 to 5,” “Jolene,” as well as her roles in films such as “9 to 5,” “Steel Magnolias,” and more. Her theme park Dollywood has been a popular attraction since 1986, even making Forbes’ “America’s Best Midsized Employers” list in 2021. Not to mention her philanthropy prompted her to donate $1 million to COVID research that went to producing the Moderna vaccine, according to CNN.  And through all of it, Parton’s marriage has remained the one constant in her life for a very good reason — she and her husband live separate lives.

Dolly Parton Reveals The Secret To Her Marriage’s ‘Sensible Separation’

Shutterstock

By Hope Campbell/June 21, 2021 6:16 pm EST

When you’ve been married for half a century — especially in the entertainment industry — you have to have done something right. Dolly Parton married husband Carl Dean in 1966 when she was barely out of her teens, per Biography. She and Dean had initially met two years prior in a laundromat, according to the outlet, and have gone through the years together as Parton has become a worldwide superstar as a singer, songwriter, actor, amusement park owner, and philanthropist.

Parton is known for her hits, like “I Will Always Love You,” “9 to 5,” “Jolene,” as well as her roles in films such as “9 to 5,” “Steel Magnolias,” and more. Her theme park Dollywood has been a popular attraction since 1986, even making Forbes’ “America’s Best Midsized Employers” list in 2021. Not to mention her philanthropy prompted her to donate $1 million to COVID research that went to producing the Moderna vaccine, according to CNN.  And through all of it, Parton’s marriage has remained the one constant in her life for a very good reason — she and her husband live separate lives.

Parton is known for her hits, like “I Will Always Love You,” “9 to 5,” “Jolene,” as well as her roles in films such as “9 to 5,” “Steel Magnolias,” and more. Her theme park Dollywood has been a popular attraction since 1986, even making Forbes’ “America’s Best Midsized Employers” list in 2021. Not to mention her philanthropy prompted her to donate $1 million to COVID research that went to producing the Moderna vaccine, according to CNN. 

And through all of it, Parton’s marriage has remained the one constant in her life for a very good reason — she and her husband live separate lives.

Dolly Parton’s career is what’s given her marriage the space it needs

That doesn’t mean Parton and Dean don’t enjoy each other’s company when she is home. Perhaps that’s because seeing each other is often fresh and new.

“My husband and I always had a great friendship,” Parton said. “We’re both funny, and we both have a great and warped sense of humor so we’ve always had a good time. He’s pretty much a loner and a homebody, and I’m a gypsy. But when I’m home, I love that. We don’t do the same thing so it gives us different stuff to talk about.”